The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-07-13
Extracts That Give a Notion of
What Many Englishmen Read.

There Is curious little work the con-
tents Of which are said to have been col
lected by Hans Sachs, the Nurembarg
cobbler and masler-singer, in l5l7. The
book pretends 10 have been prepared by
Hans Sachs for his private Use, that he
might make merriment among his friends
when drinking. and they were tired Of
his songs. Ii does not contain any anec-
dotes; it is made upof a collection Of rid
dies more or less good. some coarse. and
some profane: but the age was not
squeamish. The title under which the
little work was issued was " seful Table
Talk, or Something for An; that Is the
Happy Thoughts, -ood and bad, expell-
ing Melancholy and cheering SPIRITS, Of
llilarius Wishwash, Master-tiller at
kielen-hausen. Here are some of the
conundrums:
q. After Adam had eaten the forbidden
fruit did he stand OF sit down? A. Meth
er, he fell
q. Two shepherds were pasturing their
tiocks said one TO the other: "Giye
me one Of your sheep. then | shall have
twice as many sheep as you ''Not So
replied the second herdsman; give me
one Of yours and then we shall have
equal focks." How many sheep had
each A. One had seven, the other five
If the first took a sheep out Of the flock
OF the second he had eight, the other four.
If the contrary, each had six
Q. What is four times six? A. 6G66.
Q. What does 4 goose do when siasd-
ing on one leg? A. Holds up the other
Q. When did carpenters first proclaim
themselves 10 be intolerable dawdies?
A. When building the Ark-they took
100 wears over il.
q. Under what law are soldiers? A.
Cantn on law.
Some of the riddles have survived in
the jocular mouth to the present day.
For instance, who does not know this
Q. What smells most in an apothecary's
shop? A. The nose.
There is one conundrum which sur
prises us. The story was wont 20 be told
by Bishop Wiibeforce that he had asked
child in sunday-school why the angels
ascended and descended on Jacobs lad
der. whereupon the child replied that
they did 50 because hey were Noting
and could not dy. But this appears il
Hans Sachs book. and Is evidently a very
ancient joke indeed.
In this collection also appears the very
heavy riddle Which is the heaviest. a
pound Of lead or a pound Of feathers?7
which every one knows. but with an adj
dition, which il an improvement After
the answer. Each weighs pound, and
they are equal in weight, the questioner
says further; Not so; try in water
The pound of feathers will float, and the
pound Of head will sink
q. How can you carry a jug Of water in
your hand on broiling summer day, in
the full oiaze of the sun, 80 that the wa
ter shall not get hotter? A. Let the wa
ter be boiling when you fill the jug
q How can a farmer prevent the mice
from stealing his corn? A. BY giving
them his corn.
q. A certain man left penny by his
win to be divided equally among his IF
~ relatives, each to have as much as the
other, and each to be quite contented
with what he got and not envy any of
the other legatees. How did the execu-
tor comply with this testamentary dispo-
sition? A. He bought a packet Of fifty
'in tacks with the penny, and hammered
one into the back of each l,.gatee.-C Cg.aB,-
lsrs Journal
THE FEAR oF.TlIE DEAD N CHINA
The great overriding superstitions Of
China are, however, the fear Of the dead
and the belief in Feng shut. The latter
woni means literally wind and water
and seems to typify both the good and
the banefnl influences Of physical pine
n0mena. II is the existence of these SUI
perstitions which really forms the barrier
20 progress in China. because they inter
fere with the exception OF foreign ideas
and the development OF industrial pro
jects in mining, railway making and 50
forth. Feng Shui is defined. saws the Ro-
man Catholic Bishop OF Ningpo, as the
path of the Great Dragon, who rishes
through the air just above the houses.
spouting blessings IN showers from his
nostrils. He flies straight forward, un-
less by evil chance he should strike
against some high building, in which
case he turns aside at an angle, and 50 the